Only Place I Call Home
by StarliteAddict
Summary: Dean and Sam are set out to look for their father, but when he leaves them a tip to go to Tree Hill, they find something entirely different.
1. She's So Mean

Hi! So just a heads up, Dean and Sam's ages are slightly altered in this. The Supernatural verse is around the Scarecrow episode (1x11) and in One Tree Hill it's just after The Search for Something More (1x08).

The coordinates that John left Sam and Dean this time led them to a small town on the coast of North Carolina, but there was nothing that screamed supernatural going on in the town, so they thought that maybe they would finally meet up with their father there. When they rolled into town, Dean parked at the first place for food he saw, reasoning with Sam that if they went in and ate, they could ask if anyone inside had seen John. So they walked into Karen's Café and were met by a few weird glances before a girl a bit younger than Sam hurried over to them, offering them menus and taking their orders.

"One bacon double cheese burger and a coke, and a Creaser salad with an iced tea, coming right up. If you need anything, my name is Haley, feel free to just call it out. Or catch Lucas, he'll help you if I'm busy." She said with a smile, pointing at the blonde boy who was sitting at the counter and smiled over at them and waved. Sam smiled back before he thanked Haley, and she went to the kitchen to put the order in. Sam turned to Dean, who was tapping his fingers on the table until he realized Sam was looking at him.

"What?" He asked, confused, before glancing around to make sure nothing weird was going on.

"Should we ask them now if they know dad?" Sam asked, and Dean rolled his eyes.

"Calm down, I promise we'll ask them if they know dad before we leave. It's not like they're going anywhere, they're our waiters." Dean replied, and Sam grumbled under his breath before he changed the topic, deciding that talking about anything else at that moment would keep him occupied.

Their food came out quickly and once they were done eating, Haley brought them their check and offered to check them out. Dean and Sam both walked up to the counter with her, and as Dean paid her, Sam pulled out a picture of John.

"Have you by any chance seen this man before?" He asked, which made Dean roll his eyes. Haley looked up at them, confused, before she looked back at the picture for a moment before shaking her head.

"I can't say that I have. Hey, Luke, come here!" She called, and Lucas stood and walked over.

"What's up?" He asked, and Sam turned the picture towards him while Haley answered.

"Have you seen this guy before? These boys are looking for him." She said, and Luke looked at the picture before shaking his head as well.

"Uh, no, sorry. Who is he?" He asked, looking back and forth between them.

"He's our dad." Dean answered, while Sam sighed ran his fingers through his hair. "He went missing a few weeks ago and we got a lead that he might be around here."

"You said you're looking for your dad? You're not more of Dan's kids, are you?" A slightly older guy asked from the seat next to where Lucas had been, before he got up and walked over as well.

"No, it's not Dan, Keith. I've never seen the guy before." Lucas answered. Keith frowned and held his hand out for the picture, taking it for a moment before nodding a little.

"I saw this guy a few weeks ago, he pulled into the shop because he needed an oil change. Said he could do it himself, but paid me in cash for the service and the oil." Keith said, before looking back up at Sam and Dean. "But I mean weeks ago, like three or four. Haven't seen him since. Sorry to not be more help."

Dean just looked at Sam before he smiled back at Keith, and Sam was quick to talk. "No, really, thank you. It's more help than you think; at least we have an idea on somewhere he's been." He said, before grinning at Dean, then looking back at Keith. "Do you know what direction he was heading in?"

"He headed west. I know that doesn't say much, since all there really is, is west. But he said he had a long ride ahead of him, so maybe Midwest? Maybe even west coast? I don't know other than that." Keith said, but Dean just nodded.

"Really, thank you so much for your help." He said, and Keith smiled and nodded.

"I hope you find him!" Haley called, and the boys just smiled and waved at her before heading out of the café.

As Dean went to push the door open, someone on the other side pulled it open and they both let out surprised 'whoas', before laughing. Dean was standing almost chest to chest with a beautiful brunette girl with dark eyes; that was the opposite of his usual type, but for some reason he was immediately taken by her. He moved out of her way, pushing Sam behind him and smiling back up at her.

"Ladies first." Dean said, and the girl grinned as she walked past him.

"Such a gentleman." She commented, and he winked at her playfully.

"Yeah, well, I try. My name is Dean." He said, while Sam huffed and rolled his eyes, walking around Dean out of the café. The girl smiled and crossed her arms over her chest.

"That's a little forward, don't you think? I didn't ask what your name was." She said, which made Dean grin.

"Yeah, well, I saved you the trouble of having to make up a name for the hot guy who held the door open for you today. Maybe you'll save me from having to make up a name for the beautiful woman I held the door open for?" He asked, trying to be smooth, while she let out a little laugh.

"That was kind of pathetic. I've heard better pickup lines from freshman at my school." She said, teasingly, before she held her hand out to him. "It's Brooke, by the way." She said, and he grinned widely.

"Well, it was lovely to meet you, Brooke. Maybe if I hang around town and see you again, we can spend some time together." He said, and she smiled and nodded with another little laugh.

"Again, awfully forward." She said, then paused for a long moment before she broke and shook her head. "But I'd like that. Only if we run into each other again, though." She said, and he nodded.

"You've got yourself a deal, Brooke." He said, and she rolled her eyes and turned her back to him, raising her hand to wave over her shoulder.

"Goodbye, Dean." She called, before glancing back to flash him a grin.

Dean laughed before he walked out of the café and over to the Impala, while Sam followed behind him shaking his head. When Dean opened the door to the car, he looked over the hood and grinned at Sam.

"Change of plans; we're staying in town for a few days. Grab your bag, we're getting a motel."


	2. The Edge of Tonight

After a few more 'coincidental' encounters at Karen's, Dean finally worked up to nerve to ask Brooke out. Lucas overheard, and snorted with laughter before heading back into the kitchen while Brooke rolled her eyes and turned back to Dean, who seemed confused.

"Ignore him, he's just jealous." She said, shaking her head and giving him a little smile. "So, you want to take me out?" She asked, amused.

"Trust me, if I didn't want to, I would not have asked." He said with a little grin back at her. "Seriously, Brooke, come on. I'm tired of playing the 'only if we meet again' game. Just let me take you out. Dinner and a movie. Or just dinner, than a walk through the park or by the river." He said, making a mental note to never _ever _tell Sam that he had actually put his dating advice into use.

Brooke smiled again and shrugged a little, before she sighed. "I suppose I could try to make some time to go on a date with you." She said, before she bit at her lip. "But there is a condition; you have to answer every question I ask all night. It's either that or no deal." She added in quickly.

Dean hesitated. He wasn't sure what kind of questions she would have, but he eventually laughed and nodded. "Yeah, yeah, fine. I can't guarantee that I'll give you good answers, but I promise to answer every question you ask." He said, not being specific about if he would answer truthfully or not, because he couldn't be positive that he wouldn't have to lie

"Good." Brooke grinned, triumphantly, satisfied with his answer before she stood and leaned over to kiss Dean's cheek. "I'll see you tonight. My place, eight o'clock. Do _not_ be late, Dean Winchester!" She called, and Dean couldn't help but just nod after her, before he realized he had no idea where she lived. Haley walked over a minute later with an address scribbled down on a napkin, setting it down in front of Dean before taking his plate and looking him in the eyes.

"If you hurt her, Lucas won't be the only one who hurts you, understood?" She asked, and Dean had to admit that he had never been more scared of a civilian than he was in that moment. He nodded slowly and Haley smiled at him, before she patted his shoulder. "Great. Glad we're on the same page. Have a nice night tonight."

Eight o'clock finally rolled around and Dean pulled up outside of the address Haley had given him, checking his hair in the rear view. Then he got out, straightening out his clothes as he walked up to the door, but before he could knock, Brooke pulled it open and grinned at him.

"Eager much?" He asked, playfully, to which she scoffed. "I mean, I know I'm pretty irresistible, but damn that was a quick reaction time."

"You wish. I was worried you were too intimidated to show, so I've been people watching to see if you actually came." She replied, pulling the door closed behind her and crossing her arms over her chest. Dean grinned.

"Huh. Well then, uh, surprise!" He said, throwing his arms in the air, to which Brooke rolled her eyes and walked past him with a shake of her head.

"Come on. I'm taking you to a nice place in town for dinner." She said, pulling open the passenger door to the Impala, and Dean frowned after her.

"But I'm the one who asked you out." He said, following after her and climbing into the car as well, still looking at her with a frown.

"Which was sweet. But I've lived here my whole life and you're just passing through, so I think I know where the good food is." She responded, smiling at him sweetly, to which he rolled his eyes and closed her door behind her, unable to come up with an argument against that logic.

He ended up loving dinner, and didn't even care about how high the bill was when it finally came. They had each had a four course meal, though how much of it was actually eaten was subject to debate. And on top of that, they had a bottle of wine, so he couldn't complain with the price when the check came, given what he;d been expecting. He charged it to his card, which seemed to take Brooke by surprise.

"You make a lot of money?" She asked, tucking her own wallet into her purse, as though she thought she would have to pay. That confused Dean a little, but gave him enough time to think of an appropriate answer.

"It's a family business. We sort of have a lot of, uh, investments." He said, which was not a complete lie, as long as you count identity fraud as an investment.

"Huh." Brooke said with a smile, before the waitress returned with the card and bill. Once Dean put his card away, he stood and held his hand out for Brooke.

"Walk along the pier, now?" He asked with a grin. She took his hand and smiled at him again, before pulling him close and leaning into him.

"You're one big surprise after another, aren't you?" She laughed a little before letting him lead her out of the restaurant and down to the pier where they walked for a while before she sighed and looked up at him. "I didn't ask you many questions tonight." She pointed out.

"Do you have a lot? You could still ask me." Dean said, once again not mentioning if he would answer truthfully or not. She was quite for a minute, before she took a deep breath.

"Do you travel around a lot? Or is this just a road trip to find your dad?" She asked, finally.

"My dad travels a lot. Used to drag me and Sam around with him when we were kids, and we never really stayed in one place for too long. Once you're in that habit, it's hard to break. So I do travel a lot, yeah. This is Sam's first road trip with me in a while, though." He said, stretching a few truths but trying to keep things from complete lies.

"Do you ever go to the same place more than once?" Brooke asked, quietly. Dean sighed and looked down at her with a little smile.

"Usually? No. But….. Tree Hill might just become the exception to that rule." He said, before he shrugged a little. "If you do want me to come back, that is."

"Oh, I think I do." She said with a grin, before she leaned up and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, which made him smile wider.

"Well then this will definitely not be my last trip to Tree Hill." He said with a smile, before they continued along their walk. Brooke leaned herself into more into his chest at his affirmation of a return, feeling a comfort in knowing that Dean was ready and willing to come back to her town to see her in the future.


	3. That's The Truth

Just as Sam was finally starting to let himself relax and adjust to Tree Hill, something set him off again. He knew Dean was going to lecture him about how he can never just be happy, so opted for not telling Dean right away; at least not until he was sure something was actually going on. So, Sam spent three days observing the town, before he went to Dean with what he found.

"I think Dad might have sent us here for a case after all, Dean." Sam said in a hushed tone while they were at dinner. "And before you call me paranoid, I've already done the research."

"Yeah?" Dean asked, raising his eyebrow before he bit into his burger once more and leaned back a little to listen to Sam. "Go on, let's hear it."

"I think there's a possession in town." Sam said, seriously. Dean looked at him for a minute, before he laughed a little.

"Sam, we've had this discussion. Dan Scott is not possessed, he's just an asshole. If we try to exorcise him again, he's going to call the police. He walked through the salt line without any trouble, and the holy water didn't burn him. Some people are just dicks." He insisted, and Sam rolled his eyes.

"Not Dan." He mumbled with a roll of his eyes, though he wasn't entirely sure that Dan wasn't actually a demon still. "Nathan." He said, swallowing hard and glancing at Haley and Lucas who were by the counter chatting quietly. "He's doing drugs to try to improve his game, and according to everyone in town, he would never do anything like that. I mean, he's already the best at basketball in this town, why start taking steroids now? And Haley said he's being an asshole lately, even to her."

"I'm going to need more proof than a basketball player taking steroids to believe that there's a possession here, Sam." Dean sighed, glancing over at Haley and Lucas before waving for Haley to come over. When she did, she gave him a bit of a forced smile.

"Do you boys need something?" She asked, trying to be polite. Dean shook his head and scooted into the booth for her to sit, before he turned to her.

"No, I just have a question. In our hotel room, we keep getting this… sulfery smell? We were wondering if it was happening anywhere else in town." He said, glancing at Sam as he waited for an answer, and Haley thought for a minute before she nodded.

"Yeah, uh, Nathan's house actually has that same problem. It's really bad in his room, too, I told him he should get it checked out and he told me not to worry about it." She said, and Dean looked up at Sam again. "Another customer needs me, I'll be back in a few for you guys." She said, pushing herself out of the booth and to the other customer, while Dean sighed.

"Alright, maybe you're right." Dean said, scratching the back of his neck.

"So what exactly do we do to get a demon out of Nathan without traumatizing the whole tow?" Sam asked, and Dean sighed again.

"Great question."

* * *

"….if you want to break up with me or something, that's fine, but don't make up some crazy excuse…." Brooke trailed off, her eyebrows furrowed as she sat on the edge of her bed, looking up at Dean like he was crazy.

Dean shook his head, reaching out to cover her hand with his own. "Hey, not trying to do that at all. I just… I need your help, and I have to tell you the truth to get your help. So. My dad and Sammy and me all hunt monsters, the kind everyone thinks aren't real. And I just want to protect you from this monster, Brooke." He said.

"By exorcising Nathan…" Brooke trailed off, giving Dean the same look without even the slightest shift in tone or disbelief.

"Yeah. We think he's being possessed, he's being terrible to everyone, he's taking performance enhancers, and other telltale signs of a possession." Dean said, softly, looking away from her for a minute before looking back up at her. "I know I sound crazy. I know. If you just… hear me out, and let us help, I think you'll see that I'm not…. I'm not crazy. This is what we do, Brooke."

Brooke stared at him for another moment before she shook her head and turned to walk away from him, bringing her hand up to hold her forehead. "You… God, you find possessed people and fix them? Isn't that what priests are for?"

"Well, sometimes, but we don't just stop at possessions." Dean answered, following after her. Brooke stopped and turned to him, confused.

"What does that mean?"

"We hunt _things_. Monsters. Demons. Ghosts. We get rid of things that hurt people." He said, looking up at her and maintaining eye contact with her, trying to get his point across.

Brooke looked at him for a few minutes before she sighed heavily. "How do I know that anything you're saying to me isn't a lie? How do I know that everything you've said to me isn't a lie?"

"Whoa, hey, I've never lied to you. I've stretched the truth and omitted things, but I've never lied. I'm telling you the truth. I'm trying to help you guys." He said, before he sighed and scratched the back of his neck. "Listen, let me and Sam do this, okay? If we're wrong, we'll skip town and you'll never have to see us again and you can tell everyone we're crazy or something. If we're right, we'll help you and your friends. All you have to do is help me, and keep our secret." Dean's phone started ringing, which meant Sam was signaling him that their window of opportunity to get Nathan was getting smaller. "Brooke, I need an answer now." He said as he answered his phone, but said nothing to Sam.

"I…. fine." She finally agreed. "But you bring him here, so I know you don't hurt him." She said, determined. Dean agreed to her terms, and gave Sam the go ahead to grab Nathan.

Twenty minutes later, Nathan was tied to a chair in Brooke's dining room. Brooke was sitting in the other room, watching from behind a not-fully-closed door to make sure they didn't hurt Nathan. She sighed heavily as she watched the boys interrogate Nathan, and just as she was about to stand up and put an end to it, Dean splashed something on Nathan that made his skin start to physically burn and smoke. That made her jump out of the room and grab Dean's arm. "What is that?! Why did it do that?!" She asked, grabbing the bottle off of Dean, concerned he was hurting Nathan.

"Broo, it's holy water, he'll be fine." He insisted, before he held his hand out towards her. "Pour some on my hand. It won't hurt me. Do it to yourself. It won't hurt you. It only hurts the demon who's possessing Nathan." He said, ignoring the way that the demon in Nathan cried for Brooke's help. She looked at Dean for a long minute before she poured a drop onto his hand and frowned when it didn't smoke. She poured a drop onto her own hand and turned to Nathan, pouring a drop on his arm, then watched it smoke and burn before her eyes widened.

"Fix him!" She cried, looking back at Dean, finally fully believing everything he had told her, despite what she had thought was impossible. Sam looked at Dean, who nodded, before he exorcised the demon while Brooke hid her face in Dean's chest. Nathan's whole body slumped forward, left unconscious from the physical exertion, and Brooke peeked out from Dean's hold to look at him. "Is he okay?"

"He will be." Dean whispered, before he pulled her closer and kissed her hair while Sam untied Nathan and carried him to the sofa to lay him down. "Everything's okay now, I've got you. I won't let anything happen to you." He whispered, closing his eyes and nuzzling into her hair while she gripped at his shirt tightly.

"Promise?" She asked, quietly, not moving from how close she was pressed to Dean. All along she had felt safe in his arms, but this was a new and impossibly safer feeling.

"Promise." He answered, just as quietly.


	4. This is Home

When Sam and Dean left town, Brooke refused to let it get to her. She jumped right back into the life she had put aside while dealing with the brothers and the hurricane of destruction that followed them. But that didn't mean Dean was off her mind. She thought about him all the time, over the stupidest of things, and had to physically stop herself from calling him on more than one occasion. She knew he was busy, and he had promised to call when he could. Her best bet was to wait for him, than to try and get him while he was in the middle of a hunt. So instead, she waited for his calls and talked to him on his terms. The thought that things weren't her way, and that she wasn't in charge, didn't even cross her mind; she was just happy for the little chats she got to have with Dean when she got to have them.

Slowly, though, the calls stopped coming as frequently. They went from twice a week, to once a week. It wasn't her ideal plan, but she could live with it. Then, she didn't get a call for three weeks straight. When her phone finally lit up with a strange number, she practically jumped on the phone, hoping it was Dean and not just some telemarketer.

"Hello?" She asked, trying to sound calm despite the way her heart was racing in her chest, anticipating the sound of Dean's voice. Her eyes slid shut as she waited for a response, holding her breath as she waited.

"Hey, Brooke." Her heart leapt and the air left her heavily, but it wasn't Dean on the other end of the line. "It's Sam. Dean's brother." He sounded tired, and defeated, and it terrified her.

"I know who you are, Sam." She said, softly, pulling a pillow from her bed to her chest and holding it tightly. "What happened to him?" She asked. She knew something had to be wrong for Sam to be calling her after she hadn't heard from Dean in a month.

Sam was quiet for a while, before he finally sighed. "He's not doing too well." He whispered into the receiver, and Brooke's heart plummeted. She pressed her face into the pillow she was holding to muffle the sound she made at his words, before she composed herself to listen to what he was saying. "He asked to talk to you a few days ago, but I couldn't find his phone until just now. I just wanted to call and give you a heads up because he's going to call you tomorrow, but he's not going to tell you…"

"Tell me what, Sam?" Brooke asked, her voice soft and shaky. "What happened? Is he hurt? Is he sick? Where are you?" She was starting to ramble, and she heard Sam sigh audibly on the other end, which cut her off. She didn't want to stress him out any more than he already was, she was just worried about Dean.

"He was electrocuted on a hunt a few days ago. It triggered a massive heart attack, he just barely made it to the hospital. The doctors say all they can do is make him comfortable." He whispered, and Brooke could hear him biting back his own tears, while hers slid freely down her face.

"You never answered where you are." She insisted, before Sam sighed again and answered with the name of the town and the hospital Dean was in. Once she had that information, she let Sam go to make other calls, while she typed the name of the town into Google.

The next day, around the time Sam usually visited Dean, the door to his room opened. Dean groaned at first, not bothering to open his eyes, before he gave a little smile.

"Did you bring my phone today?" He asked, quietly. "I wanna call Brooke, talk to her before anything happens." He said, as though he hadn't told Sam the same thing the day before. Then, he cracked opened his eyes and took as deep of a breath as he could manage at that particular moment.

"Sorry, I didn't bring a phone." Brooke answered, looking down at him and crossing her arms over her chest before she walked over and sat down next to him. "Sam told me not to come. Your doctors didn't want me here, either, but I had to see you." She said, softly, and he swallowed hard and turned his head away from her, closing his eyes again.

"I told Sam not to tell you." Dean sighed, his voice raspy and quiet. She took in the sight before her; since they met, Dean had been her knight in shining armor whom no harm could come to because he'd eliminate it first. Yet, here he was, looking small and sick in the too-white-and-clean-smelling hospital room. He had dark circles around his eyes, which he could barely keep open. The rest of his skin was almost as white and pale as the sheets he was wrapped in. He appeared to be shivering slightly, despite the blankets he was under and the drops of sweat that graced his forehead. He looked nothing like the Dean she had come to know and love. Yet hearing him say that he hadn't wanted her to know he was sick, that he was trying to keep from hurting her despite how hurt he was? That was exactly the Dean she knew, and once he broke through the mask of this sick Dean before her, she knew she could do what they did best without upsetting him; fight back.

"So you just wanted me to think that everything was fine? That you didn't call me for a month because you forgot about me or something? Because that's what I was starting to think, Dean. And when Sam called, my heart dropped. I had to come see you. I needed to see you with my own eyes. Sue me for giving a shit about you, Dean Winchester." She whispered, biting at her lip.

"I'm fine, Broo." He whispered the pet name he had given her, though still didn't turn to face her. "I'll be fine. Sam's looking for something to make me better, damn kid won't listen no matter how many times I tell him I don't want help."

"You don't want help?" She asked, incredulously, and he squeezed his eyes closed tight, like he was bracing for what was coming. "Dean, I don't know if you know this, but there are people in the world who need you. And I don't just mean your dad, Sam, and me. All the people you help, all the people you save when you hunt. They all need you. And, if you don't care about them, then think about your dad and Sam, think about how they need your help." She said, before she swallowed hard and reached out for his hand. "Or think about me, Dean. Please, God, think about me before you let this happen to yourself." She said, lacing their fingers together and squeezing his, biting her lip as a few stray tears fell from her eyes.

Dean was quite for a long moment, before he sighed and finally turned to look at her. His free hand reached over to brush the tears that had fallen down her face away, then he squeezed her hand as tightly as he could manage. "I'm not going anywhere, Broo. I'll let Sam do what he wants to help me." He whispered, and she let out a heavy breath before she leaned forward and buried her face in his neck, squeezing his hand tightly.

"Thank God. I don't know what I'd do without you, Dean." She whispered, before she pulled back and kissed his cheek, then settled back into her seat by his side. He gave her a little smile, before he eventually closed his eyes and drifted back off to sleep.

Later that day, Sam came in with two coffees and his laptop. He handed one coffee to Brooke wordlessly and took the seat by the foot of Dean's bed, sipping his coffee before typing away rapidly on his laptop. After a moment, he finally looked up at Brooke and gave her a little sideway grin.

"I've got this under control. Dean's going to be fine." He said, nodding in affirmation, and she smiled widely at him, turning to look at Dean's sleeping figure before her, toying with his fingers in his sleep.

And sure enough, less than a week later, Dean was back on his feet running. In a weird turn of events, helping Dean had turned into a hunt that Brooke had observed from their hotel, where she had moved the boys and gotten an adjoining room so they could all talk together. When it came down to it, she had never seen the two of them strategize for a hunt, let alone actually hunt before, and it was fascinating to watch them switch from banter to serious in a split second. But, they took care of everything, and once it was all over, Brooke had to go back to Tree Hill. After everything, though, the last thing she wanted to do was leave Dean.

"Hey, c'mere." Dean called to her, while Sam took their bags out to the Impala. The plan was for the boys to drive Brooke back to Tree Hill, spend the night there, and be back on the road before dawn. That left very little alone time, especially if the three of them were going to be staying at Brooke's house together, so Dean wanted to clear this up while they could steal a moment alone. He pulled her onto the balcony of her hotel room, closing the door behind him, before he leaned in and kissed her softly. She smiled when he pulled away, and ran her hand over his jawline.

"What was that for?" She asked, brushing her thumb over his lips and biting at her own, which made him laugh softly.

"Just… thanks, for coming out here." He said, softly. "I know it's not easy; this whole distance thing. And I know me hunting isn't easy on you, either. But just… know that this is a fluke thing. Ninety nine percent of the time, I know what I'm doing enough to the point where I won't be hurt in a life threatening way. I don't want you worrying all the time about me." He said, before Brooke smiled.

"I'm always going to worry, Dean. But I try not to worry as much as long as I hear from you. So, as long as you call me, I won't worry. If I don't hear from you in more than two weeks, even a day more, I'll be calling to check up on you." She said, poking her finger in his chest playfully, which made him laugh and roll his eyes.

"Shut up and come here." He mumbled, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her into another kiss, before Sam knocked on the glass door of the balcony. They parted from the kiss with a laugh, and Sam rolled his eyes before pulling the door open.

"We've got to go, check out is in five minutes." He said, shaking his head and walking away from them, which made Brooke take Dean's hand and pull him back inside and out of the room, follow Sam's lead to the lobby. When he saw her following him, he gave her a little smile. "You ready to go home?" He asked, referring to Tree Hill.

Brooke smiled and turned to Dean, before looking back at Sam and shrugging. "I am home."


	5. Camisado

The messages Brooke gets from Dean make little to no sense after that, but at least there are messages. That's all Brooke cared about. Messages meant he was alive and well. A few came about his dad, but as soon as she asked if they had found their father, Dean changed the subject and then didn't mention him again. So, she figured, either something had happened and he didn't want to talk about it, or she had misunderstood somehow.

And then she gets a call from Karen, asking if she knows where Lucas is- him and Keith were supposed to pick her up an hour ago and neither of them are answering the phone. She doesn't, but she calls both Lucas and Keith as soon as she hangs up with Karen, and when they don't answer she tries Haley. Haley answers the phone, but shes sniffling before she even greets Brooke, so Brooke starts the conversation.

"Are you okay? Where are you? What happened? Do I have to kill Nathan?" She rattled off, starting a list of torture methods to take out on Nathan if he hurt Haley and- hey, maybe she should call Dean and ask for help on that, he seems to know a lot about that sort of thing, and he would totally be down to help if he found out Nathan hurt Haley in any way and-

"Lucas and Keith were in a car accident. We just got to the hospital. Brooke, it's… he's…" Haley managed to get out, before she was blubbering and Nathan took the phone. Brooke had a small and quick conversation with Nathan, grabbing her car keys and telling him to call Karen and tell her she'd be at the airport to pick her up in a few minutes, and then she hung up.

The next part of the night is an hour of screaming and crying in the lobby, Karen and Keith arguing, and then the group of them move into the family waiting room and sit in silence for three more hours. The silence probably would have continued if it weren't for the buzz of her phone from an unknown number.

_I'm in the hallway. Come get coffee with me? Xx_

She couldn't help the little pull at the corner of her lips before she excused herself and walked out into the hallway, grinning as her eyes filled with tears at the sight of Dean in front of her. She took off in a speed walk down the hallway before she practically leaped into his arms, holding him close and tight and letting out a little sob into his neck. Dean sighed heavily and wrapped his arms around her waist, squeezing her tight.

"We've gotta stop meeting in hospitals, Broo." He said with a little sad smile, before he kissed her lips gently.

"Last time, this was your fault. I am in no way responsible for making you come to the hospital this time." She said, before she looked up at him, a little confused. "How did you know I was in the hospital tonight? I meant to text you earlier but I just… Keith's in a terrible place and I've kind of just been sitting with him to try to take care of him and I lost track of time."

"Haley texted me, or well, Nathan texted me. But Sam happened to have my phone, and I had this one on me, so he forwarded the message and here I am." He said with a shrug, rubbing her back. Brooke sighed and kissed his lips gently.

"You're the greatest boyfriend on the face of the planet. And remind me to give Nathan a huge hug when I go back in there, for getting you here." She said, looking up at him and biting her lip a little. "You didn't have to come, though, you know. I'm fine. I'm not the one hurt."

"I know." Dean answered, giving her another little smile, brushing her hair out of her face with the hand that wasn't rubbing her back. "But I know how close you and Lucas are. He's like your best friend. And I knew you'd be spending the whole night cooped up in that bleachy smelling waiting room reading shitty magazines and waiting for word on him, so I figured I could at least come keep you company while you did those things. Considering you came to me when I needed you."

Brooke grinned up at him and kissed his lips again softly. "Greatest. Boyfriend. Ever." She said before she took his hand and squeezed his wrist. "And I believe you mentioned something about coffee?"

"Yeah, I think I did. My treat."

After being in surgery all night, Lucas ends up being okay. That's what the doctors say, at least- in a coma, but okay. Dean stayed with her all night, coming back from their coffee run with enough for everyone, though Karen and Keith don't drink their cups. He sat up with her and rubbed her shoulders and cuddled up in the chair with her even though under normal conditions he wouldn't in public; but then again, he's never been this serious with anyone like he is with Brooke.

Brooke ends up falling asleep curled up on him in the uncomfortable hospital chairs after they get the news that Lucas pulled through the surgery and is being moved into a room on the ICU floor for overnight observation. First thing in the morning he'll be moved to a recovery floor. She seems relieved by the news, and there's a complete switch in the atmosphere of the room as they all relax and gather their things to either follow the nurse to somewhere they can stay in a few moments, or head home for the night. Brooke, however, curls up on Dean and goes to sleep almost immediately. This leaves Brooke, Dean, and Keith alone in the room together. Dean tries to go to sleep for a while, but the chair is so damn uncomfortable that he gives up on that, before he glances over at Keith.

He looks torn apart; literally and figuratively. There's cuts and scrapes all over his face and hands, he's got a few bandages over them but most of them are open- he must have been in the car accident with Lucas. And he hasn't moved much all night. He's been picking at his sleeves, the hem of his shirt, his nails, cracking his knuckles, but he hasn't shifted in his seat once. He hasn't gotten up to walk around since Dean got here. And Dean knows exactly what he feels like.

"Hey, Keith?" Dean said, quietly. He didn't want to wake Brooke, she needed to sleep. But he didn't need to speak loudly to be heard in the room; they were the only three left inside, with a muted television and a closed door. You could have heard a pin drop. Keith's head lifted a little to meet Dean's eyes before he quickly looked back down at his hands. "I… I don't know what happened, alright? I don't. But I know that look, and you're blaming yourself for the accident. You can't do that, alright? Unless you drove sideways and made that car hit Lucas, it wasn't your fault."

There was a long silence after that. Dean thought that maybe he'd overstepped, but Keith still hadn't moved. He swallowed hard, but showed no other acknowledgement of Dean's words for a few minutes. Until he raised his head to look up at him and sighed.

"I… It was one beer, I've… I can drive after one beer. It was with dinner, I didn't even finish it, I wasn't… I wasn't drunk driving. I wasn't." Keith said, quietly, letting out heavy huffs of air out, and Dean felt like he was trying to convince himself more than Dean. "I don't… I don't know who was in the wrong. I don't know if I ran the red light or if the other guy did. I don't know, I don't… I thought the light was green, I wouldn't have gone otherwise, but I don't… I don't remember, I don't…" He was starting to ramble, and he leaned over, tugging at his hair.

"Woah, hey, calm down." Dean said, almost lurching forward, forgetting about Brooke for a moment before he wrapped his arms around her waist. She nuzzled into him a little and sighed and he looked at her for a second before he looked over at Keith. "Listen. Keith, you love Lucas like he's your kid. I saw that just from the little bit I've been here. You would never, ever put him in harm's way intentionally. If the light was red, even if you weren't completely paying attention, your subconscious would have kicked in and you would have stopped. I know from experience, I've stopped shit like that from happening to me and my brother all the time." He said, quietly. "It's not your fault. Karen's upset. Nobody knows what happened. Police will get the traffic report and truth will out. And Karen will be sorry for what she said to you. But you have to understand that she's a mother and her son almost died." He said, quietly.

Again, Keith was quite for a minute before he looked up at him and gave him a little smile. "You're too smart for your age, kid."

"Well, I am a little older than the kids you're used to being around. But only a couple of years." He said, flashing a smile at Keith before he shrugged. "And I… me and my brother go through a lot of shit. Pep talks like these are nothing. If I had to actually cheer you up, that'd be a trainwreck. But making you realize that this wasn't your fault? Kind of my specialty." He said.

Keith looked at him for a moment before he shook his head and stood, walking over to pat Dean's shoulder softly before heading towards the door. "You should take Brooke home. She's exhausted, she needs a bed. And she needs you to stay with her. Don't put her in bed and skip out of town, alright? Stay with her until morning. She'll appreciate it. I'll appreciate knowing you're watching after her." Keith said, which made Dean nod.

"Yessir." He said, and Keith looked over his shoulder, smiled, and closed the door behind him on his way out. Dean looked down at Brooke and shook her shoulder gently, before he sighed and lifted her, carrying her down the hallway carefully. She nuzzled close to him again, wrapping her arms around his neck and mumbling to him softly.

"You're the greatest boyfriend ever, Dean. Really." She whispered, before she cracked an eye open to look up at him with a little smile. "Will you come back with me tomorrow to see Lucas and Karen for a little bit?" She asked, burying her face back into his neck.

He nodded, but what he didn't say was 'I'd do anything as long as you asked me to do it'. He didn't have to, though, for two reasons. One, he was pretty sure she was already asleep again. Two, she already knew that was the case.


End file.
